2023 Nissan Versa: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
37 NHTSA owner complaints · 1 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2012 and 2014 Nissan Versa, which have 486 and 337 complaints and scores of 26 and 45, and the 2024 car, an AVOID at 44 on a record still forming; the 2011 car is a CAUTION at 269 complaints. Buy a 2015 to 2021 car: the 2016 has 80 complaints, no recalls and a score of 92. Read the full note on the model page. 2023 specifically: a year the record favours — 37 complaints, score 81/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Nissan Versa and Murano: the years to avoid, including 2023 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 37 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 12.33
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
I'm an employee at a driving school in Colorado and have experienced numerous occasion when loss of power is experienced. The most recent was in 10/05/2025 at 02:10pm. No warning light came on. The car was not accelerating more then 18mph. This issue is concerning. We have students driving for the first time that are affected by this Nissan Versa 2024 malfunction. Please have this issue reviewed and solved before so…
Car sometimes stall after releasing clutch too soon on first gear and goes into limp mode. Luckily I haven’t gotten hit from behind yet when this has happened but came close multiple times. The limp mode is what scares me that I will get into an accident.
Car has manual transmission: If engine stalls from starting on a hill or any other reason, when restarted it runs on limp mode with severe loss of power. Problem usually resolves on next restart, but may take up to 2 restarts to resolve. Issue was reported to Buckeye Nissan, Hilliard Ohio on 11/08/23. at that date it had occurred 3 times in the first 1,200 miles. as of 02/24/25 it has occurred approximately 15 ad…
Recalls: 1 campaigns (1 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 24V154000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Driver Side:Inflator Module | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2024 Titan, Frontier, Infiniti QX60, Pathfinder, 2023-2024 Sentra, Versa, Kicks, Infiniti QX50, and 2023 Rogue vehicles. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a city car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 35 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $1,750
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Engine23 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Power Train15 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Vehicle Speed Control13 complaints · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$520–$1,150
- Unknown Or Other9 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Electrical System7 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Fuel/Propulsion System4 complaints · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement (3.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,620
Other Nissan Versa years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2023 Nissan Versa?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (23 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2023 Nissan Versa a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 81/100, computed from 37 NHTSA complaints and 1 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2023 Nissan Versa's most common problem?
23 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2023 Nissan Versa sit in the Engine group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is cooling-system or timing-drive repair: about 6.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,040–$2,220 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2023 Nissan Versa cost to run per year?
About $3,074 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $15,370 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2023 Nissan Versa have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for the 2023 Nissan Versa, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 27/02/2024. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other economys of about the same age.
What will a 2023 Nissan Versa really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Thin evidence — 37 complaints, 1 recalls on record
- 37 NHTSA complaints on record (12.3/yr of exposure) — in line with a typical year of this model (11.0/yr)
- 1 recall campaigns, 1 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality